Festus Fajemilo Foundation in partnership with the Lagos State Chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, JONAPWD and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul (DC) have called for the establishment of Special Education Department in different higher institutions across Lagos state.
The Consortium made this call during advocacy visits to tertiary institutions across the state under the project, ‘Strengthening Inclusive Education through Cooperative Teaching in Lagos State’.
Pointing out the growing need for the creation of special education department, the project team, at the various visits, explained that the increase in the number of children with disabilities and fewer trained teachers to attend to them brought about the need for the creation of Special Education department across higher institutions.
The Project team who visited Deans of faculty of Education in University of Lagos, UNILAG; Lagos State University, LASU; Micheal Otedola College of Education and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education revealed that the project is aimed at developing a co-operative teaching manual, to facilitate collaboration between regular and special teachers to help in the education of persons with disabilities.
The team members who noted that the teachers’ collaboration will not adequately solve the challenges faced, proffered that special education departments should be created in higher institutions across the state.
Further acknowledging University of Ibadan, University of Calabar and University of Jos and other schools who offered courses on Special education, the team urged higher institutions to emulate the institutions offering courses on special education. It was however stated that the creation of department for special education will help to reduce the stress of traveling to long distances for the purpose of acquiring such skills.
Reacting to the group’s proposal, the Dean, Faculty of Education, Lagos State University, Prof. Yemi Ambrose Akinkuotu applauded the team for taking a brilliant initiative to come up with such a wonderful program, he then promised to meet with the faculty examiners board and relay the message of the board to the project team. He revealed that the university was already working towards the creation of such department.
At the University of Lagos, Dean, faculty of Education, Prof. Monday Ubagha lauded the project idea and assigned the lecturer in charge of Special education and the Sub Dean to interface directly with the team promptly. He said, “it is our mandate as a teacher training institute in the faculty to embrace all options that would help to improve access to education for all, we are therefore glad to be a part of this.”
Also responding to the project team, the Dean of the faculty of education, Micheal Otedola College of education who was impressed with the team’s idea promised to discuss the team’s proposal with the College’s provost.
